Halton: Shortage of child care spaces and qualified staff

Inside Halton reports on the child care crisis in Oakville, Burlington and Milton.

Shortage of spaces and inadequate wages show why provincial funding is so essential to preserve and grow our child care programs.

“In Milton, we have providers interested but it’s very difficult to find a space to put a licensed child care program,” said Mary Beth Jonz, Halton’s director of children’s services.

Jonz said low wages for early childhood educators (ECEs) is creating a shortage of employees in this sector. She said only 23 per cent of ECEs make a living wage, which she pegged at $18 an hour, with the average wage sitting at $14 an hour.

Jonz said she didn’t want to see the cost of child care increased to provide for higher salaries, rather she said the Province should help in upping wages. “There’s been an increase of more than 2,000 ECEs who’ve gone into the field, but they go on to get their teaching certificate. There needs to be an incentive to keep them in the field of early childhood education.”

Along with municipalities, the OCBCC is calling on funding from the province for increased wages for qualified and hard working staff.